Changeling Heart
by Hikaru the Jinx
Summary: The story of Pinkie Pie isn't what it seems...
1. Chapter 1

It was a cold night on the Pie family rock farm. Igneous Rock, head of the family had just checked on his two young daughters, and found them both fast asleep. The stallion proceeded to complete all of his other nightly checks before heading to bed. Everything seemed to be in order and, satisfied, he extinguished the flame in his lantern. Igneous and his wife, Cloudy Quartz, were both exhausted from a long day of work and eager to get some sleep. The rest they needed would not come that night. As soon as all was still in their humble home, the Pies began to hear strange sounds. At first it sounded like wind. Possibly wild animals wandering outside. But soon they recognized the sound of voices. One was female and it gradually grew more desperate. Cloudy Quartz looked at her husband in concern. They could now make out the sounds of a struggle accompanying the voices. Igneous quickly got out of bed and made his way to the front door. By the time he got there however, the commotion had died down quite a bit. Opening the door, he looked around squinting his eyes to make out anything he could in the dark. The stallion mentally chastised himself for not stopping to get the lantern. All appeared to be peaceful. Eerily peaceful. A sudden dark shape moved quickly near him, only seen out of the corner of his eye. It was so startling that igneous took several steps outside the door looking in the direction the shape had gone. It was no longer there, but he became aware of something else. A dark shape lay on the ground several feet from were he stood. As he cautiously moved closer he saw that it was more or less pony shaped. He realized with a start that it was a child. A very young one at that. But the most unnerving thing about the child was it's appearance. Never had Igneous Rock Pie seen a creature like it in his life. By this time Cloudy Quartz had come to the door and was peering out at her husband somewhat anxiously. "What has thou found?" Her voice only shook slightly as she reigned in the fear clawing at her deep inside.  
"It appears to be a child." The question had snapped Igneous out of his shocked state. He scooped the unconscious child up with one hoof and walked back toward his home. Once the stallion was in the light his wife could clearly see the small bundle he was cradling. She gasped bringing a hoof to her mouth in shock. The child was very young. It had a midnight black coat, and tiny translucent pink wings on it's back. A small tuft of pink sat atop it's head along with a slightly curved ebony horn. The child was female and had an abundance of holes in it's legs, arms, hair, and wings. This was a changeling.


	2. Chapter 2

After that dark night the Pie family was changed forever. The couple took pity on the tiny changeling they had found. Not sure of what else to do, they raised her. While hesitant at first, Limestone Pie and Maud Pie gradually warmed up to the child accepting her as a part of their family.  
even so, the Pies never spoke of her to anyone outside their family. They feared what would happen if anyone found out they had adopted a changeling as their daughter. They named her Pinkamina Diane Pie which was soon shortened to Pinkie Pie.  
not long after that Cloudy Quartz gave birth to a fourth daughter which they named Marble Pie. Pinkie adored her instantly.  
by the time Pinkie Pie had grown into a filly she had learned how to harness her unique abilities in order to make herself appear normal. Her adopted parents encouraged this, telling her that the best way to fit into pony society was to adopt the appearance of a pony.  
Her alter ego was similar to her true form but instead of a black coat she had a pink one. Her wings and horn were absent, as were the many holes.  
Pinkie Pie had a good life on the rock farm. She had a family that loved her, which kept her well fed. But she was still unhappy. She felt ever so slightly out of place. She felt as if she lacked a purpose. And then the day came when she saw the sonic rainboom. That changed everything for her. From that day on Pinkie Pie's path would be different than her sisters'. She wouldn't work on a rock farm forever. She would become a party pony, spreading joy and receiving all the love she could ever want.  
That was a pinkie promise.


	3. Chapter 3

Many years had passed since the day Pinkie had thrown her first party. She now lived in Ponyville were she was known as the resident party pony. The Cakes, a lovely couple who owned a bakery, had taken her in and she repaid their kindness by helping them out.  
She had made many friends in the time she had lived there. So many that any normal pony would be unable to keep track of all of them. Being a changeling, however, Pinkie had a far better memory than anypony else.  
She was loved by everyone and never went hungry.  
The mare was especially close to five ponies in particular. Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy were her dearest friends and they shared a strong bond.  
Even so, her family members remained the only ponies to know her secret. It wasn't easy hiding the truth. She had to be careful. The Cakes were the hardest to keep fooled. Many times they had almost walked in on her with her disguise dropped. She had learned to lock the door to her room to prevent this.  
Even with the strain of maintaining a secret identity of sorts, Pinkie Pie had a rather perfect life.  
At least for awhile.


	4. Chapter 4

Pinkie Pie was over the moon excited when she found out that Twilight's brother was getting married. And to a princess no less! The best part of all was that Pinkie would get to help with the wedding.  
She could hardly wait to show off her party pony skills and bask in all the love found at weddings.  
Twilight, however, was not as thrilled. She seemed greatly upset that her brother had never mentioned his engagement to her.  
Pinkie was sure she would be alright though. Just wait until the wedding party.  
The changeling and her friends arrived in Canterlot and immediately began preparing for the wedding. Everything seemed to be going fine. Pinkie was in charge of games, music, and dancing. She was hard at work planning when the bride came to check on her progress.  
The pink mare began to excitedly go over everything she had planned. She was so engaged in this that she almost didn't notice the strange look that Princess Cadence gave her. In fact, it was a wonder she noticed it at all. The princess looked vaguely suprised when she first saw her. Now she had a searching look in her eyes. It was as if she didn't know who Pinkie was and was trying to place her.  
the party pony quickly dismissed it and moved on.  
As the planning continued Twilight became more and more upset. She kept going on about what a terrible bride Cadence was, and neither Pinkie nor the others could understand why.  
Twilight finally crossed the line during the rehearsal. Pinkie and the others were stunned when the purple unicorn proudly announced that the bride was evil. 'She's gone bananas!' The changeling thought.  
Twilight was nowhere to be found after that incident. Her brother had encouraged her not to even come to the wedding. Ouch. Even so, Pinkie hoped her friend would come around and still turn up in time for the wedding.  
And boy did she.  
Everypony was shocked when Twilight crashed the wedding accompanied by...Princess Cadence?! Every eye in the room must have darted back and forth between the princess at the alter and the one in the doorway. And no one was as secretly shocked as Pinkie Pie.  
'There are two Princess Cadences?! But how...? Her mind moved fast and arrived at the most likely answer. The most reasonable explanation for a pony who looked exactly the same as somepony else. She mentally kicked herself for not noticing anything was wrong sooner. After all, she hadn't been able to sense any love in her from the moment they arrived.  
The pieces of the puzzle were all there, falling into place. She still didn't want to see it.  
And then Cadence spoke. The dirty Cadence that now stood in the aisle. She began to explain everything.  
"She's a changeling!"  
Pinkie's blood turned to ice.


	5. Chapter 5

In a blast of blinding green the false Candace vanished leaving the changeling queen in her place. "Right you are Princess."  
Amid the commotion Cadence and Chrysalis exchanged threats and told of plots, but Pinkie had tuned it all out entirely. She was spellbound by the changeling mare before her.  
'She looks like me...' Pinkie thought in awe. Of course, the queen was much taller, but many things were similar. The swiss cheese legs, translucent wings, hole filled hair, and ebony horn.  
the pink haired changeling had read many library books about other changelings, but all of the pictures she had seen made them appear much different. She had begun to wonder if she was defective.  
But here before her was a changeling mare like her, and she was a queen.  
'An evil queen.' Pinkie reminded herself. 'A big fat meany pants!'  
Celestia had finally stepped in to challenge said "big fat meany pants". Hope filled all the ponies gathered there but was soon dashed when Celestia was thrown violently to the ground. Pinkie finally willed herself to move from the position she had been frozen in this whole time.  
The six ponyville friends gathered around their fallen Princess and in a strained voice she urged them to get the elements of harmony.  
Only Rarity hesitated to discard the long dresses they were wearing and bolt out the door. They had to hurry before the changelings overtook them!  
Easier said than done.  
Queen Chrysalis' minions had broken through and a swarm of them now blocked the ponies' path.  
Pinkie had never seen so many of her own species before. Each one looked mostly the same, which further confused the pink mare when it came to herself.  
The changelings began to change shape, vanishing in green energy and replaced by perfect copies of the six heroes.  
The resulting battle was confusing. Pinkie considered using her powers to trick the creatures. She had been practicing her shape-shifting for some time now on the occasions when she was alone. Besides, surely no one would notice amid the confusion.  
Even so, she couldn't bring herself to take that chance. 'Now would be the absolute WORST time for them to find out about me!'  
And so she relied on her other tricks in this fight.  
At one point she came face to face with a changeling that couldn't seem to decide which form to stick with. It was kinda intertaining. "Ooh~ Do me! Do me!" Pinkie encouraged. With an eyeroll, the creature obliged. "Ehh, I've seen better." 'Much better. No one beats the original Pinkie Pie!' The changeling was swiftly defeated by her party canon.  
Eventually the mares made it to their destination and victory seemed certain...until they were ambushed by even more changelings.  
They were brought against their will right back to were they started.  
All was lost.


	6. Chapter 6

The thing you love the most is also the thing most capable of destroying you. What do changelings love the most? Love itself.  
Shining Armor was far to weakened by Chrysalis feeding off of his love to repel the changelings. It looked like an easy victory for the Queen.  
Almost.  
Cadence was not ready to give up just yet. Twilight had used her magic to free the princess's feet and Cadence had succeeded in lifting the enchantment on Shining Armor. When he told her he was to weak she remained optimistic. "My love will give you strength!" Was her declaration.  
What happened next was stunning. The magic in their horns came together and grew stronger than either of them could produce on their own. In a massive blast of sparkling pink energy all of the changelings were violenty thrown away from the city.  
'Wowie wow!' Pinkie thought. 'So that's the power of love!'

Queen Chrysalis was annoyed. No. Furious. Defeated so easily!  
her changelings were starting to regroup after their less than graceful landings.  
"Unbelievable! I had Equestria right in my hooves...those ponies will pay!" She sat down to plot her revenge as more disoriented changelings came stumbling along. 'That one pony was rather strange...the pink one. She seemed like the sort that would be overflowing with love, but I couldn't seem to get any from her. It's as if i was blocked out.' The Queen's face scrunched up in confusion. 'That's not the only bothersome part though. I feel like i know her somehow. It's as if i've seen her before...perhaps a long time ago.'

A changeling walking past her caught her eye.  
"Pestilence!"  
The creature jolted at the sudden sound of her ruler's loud voice.  
"Y-yes my Queen!" Pestilence squeaked.  
"I have a mission for you."


	7. Chapter 7

Pestilence flew silently towards ponyville mentally going over her assignment. 'The Queen made it very clear that i mustn't fail.'  
The town lay just ahead. The sun was just beginning to rise.  
The changeling landed descritely on the outskirts and slipped along through the shadows. Suddenly she stopped, listening. She had heard a familiar sounding giggle. Peeking out from her hiding spot she spotted a pink pony with a cotton candy mane. 'There she is. The pony who can block us out. The oddity.' Crouching like a wild cat after it's prey, she observed.  
Pinkie Pie appeared to be running early morning errands. Pestilence was intrigued by her every action. 'Look at how well loved she is here. A changeling could survive forever on a supply of love like that. I'm jealous.'  
She continued to slip through the shadows and study the pink mare. She almost lost her a few times and mentally chided herself for not being more careful.  
After awhile her dillegince paid off as she was lead strait to Pinkie's five closest friends. The mare had gone to meet them at the park and was now happily bouncing their way. 'I must gain what intel i can while i have this opportunity. My queen will be pleased.  
For an hour she sat crouched down among the shrubs simply listening to the ponies' conversation. She filed away every bit of information in her brain.  
After some time Pinkie Pie said her goodbyes to the others and headed back to sugar cube corner. A flash of green and Pestilence was replaced by a mint colored unicorn.  
She now travelled in plain sight while doing her best to not cause suspicion.  
"hey! Lyra wait up!" An earth pony was apparently trying to get the changeling's attention. 'Shoot. I can't deal with this right now. I need to stay with the pink pony!' She pretended to not hear.  
"Lyra! Hey. Don't ignore me!"  
'Shoot shoot shoot.' This disguise would obviously have to be abandoned in order to continue the mission. In a desperate attempt to shake the pony "Lyra" slipped behind a tree and traded the body of a pony for that of a fly.  
Pestilence flew quickly, looking for Pinkie. 'Don't tell me i lost her!'  
Fortunately she spotted her prey just entering Sugar Cube Corner. The "fly" darted inside as well just before the door closed.  
"Hello Mr. And Mrs. Cake~!" The mare greeted the store owners.  
"Hello Pinkie." Mrs. Cake replied with a warm smile.  
Pestilence followed upstairs and into Pinkie's room, were she perched herself on the headboard of the bed.  
Observing, she saw the mare carefully lock the door and draw the curtains over the windows. Pinkie let her bag slip off of her and thud gently on the floor.  
The next thing she did was so wildly unexpected that it shocked the spy who froze were she was.  
Pinkie Pie stood in the middle of her room and was engulfed in green light.  
And there stood a changeling.


	8. Chapter 8

Hyperventilating, Pestilence flew as fast as she could to the outer limits of Ponyville. 'How is this possible? How?! No changeling ever leaves the swarm. It's unthinkable!"  
She landed and turned to look back at the town. "How am I supposed to carry out my mission now? With another changeling around i'm sure to be found out!" She stomped a hoof angrily.  
"I'll just have to come up with a new plan."

"Pinkie Pie! There's somepony here to see you!" Mr. Cake's voice came from downstairs.  
"I'll be right there!~" Pinkie sat aside the balloon animals she had been making and went to unlock her door. She stopped. "Oopsie. That was close!" A flash of green restored her pony persona and she proceeded to head downstairs.  
The Cakes were talking to a gray earth pony she had never seen before, which she found odd since she knows everypony.  
"Oh! Pinkie, we were just chatting with your cousin here. She's truly delightful." Mrs. Cake gushed.  
'My cousin?' She looked at the pony in confusion. They were grey with a darker grey mane and piercing green eyes. 'I've never ever met this pony before.'  
"Remember me Pinkie? Fly Paper? We met at a family reunion once." The gray mare forced a smile.  
Pinkie was about to contradict her when she noticed somthing. 'I can't feel any sort of love coming from her. It's like i'm being blocked out. Wait just a diddley darn second...this is exactly what i felt around Fake Cadence!' Her eyes widened in realization.  
"O-oh yeah! Hiya coz!" She played along for the moment.  
Fly Paper internally sighed in releaf. "I was hoping we could talk somewhere in private. You know, to catch up?"  
"Sure! Let's go to my room!" Pinkie led the way hopping up one step at a time. Fly Paper's ascent was more graceful.  
Once they were inside the room Pinkie locked the door behind them. A shiver of fear ran down the gray mare's spine.  
"All righty. Who are you really? I've never met a pony named Fly Paper and I know I don't have a cousin by that name either!"  
"Ah well I-"  
"Tell me who you are!"  
"I'm-"  
"TELL ME!"  
"My real name is-"  
"TELL MEEEE!"  
"GOOD GOSH PINKIE PIE, I'M TRYING!"  
"...Oh, ok. Please continue."  
With an exasperated sigh Fly Paper began again. "My real name is Pestilence. I came here because you and I are the same."  
"You're a pink party pony that loves baking too?!" Pinkie interrupted.  
"What? No. I'm the same species as you!"  
"An earth pony?"  
"Oh Pinkie Pie, you and I both know you're no earth pony." Pestilence smiled slyly. You're more like...this. A flash of green revealed the changeling's true form and she kept smirking at Pinkie, daring her to reveal herself.  
"No I'm not! I'm a pony! You can't prove otherwise!" Pinkie hoped her panic didn't show.  
"I don't need to prove it. Nopony really needs to know. Honestly I just wanted us to be friends. Two fellow changelings attempting to fit into pony society...don't you think we should stick together?" She placed a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder and gave her a smile.  
"Well...ok. But we have to agree not to tell anypony else about each other. It has to be a pinkie promise!"  
'She fell for it.'  
"Of course!"  
"Okie doki Loki!" Another flash of green left the pink haired changeling exposed. "Do what I do!" She began the motions. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"  
'This is ridiculous.' Pestilence played along however. And she would continue to play along, for as long as it took to complete her mission.


	9. Chapter 9

Pinkie saw Fly Paper frequently after that day. They would often have lunch together or hang out at Sugar Cube Corner. On one particular occasion they were locked away in Pinkie's room were the pink mare was teaching her card tricks.  
"Pinkie, can i ask you somthing?" Fly Paper said.  
"sure!"  
"Do you ever wonder what would happen if your other friends knew the truth?" Her green eyes stared straight at Pinkie with deadly seriousness.  
"Um..yeah. i guess so...but they're my friends. I'm sure everything would be ok."  
She wasn't.  
"But what if it changed their opinion of you? What if they stopped loving you or tried to hurt you?" The gray mare pressed.  
Pinkie jumped up to her feet. "They would never try to hurt me!"  
"Perhaps not. But I can't imagine they have a very positive view of our kind." She more or less let the subject drop after that.  
Many of their conversations went this way. Pinkie had thought about telling her friends the truth many times, just to prove the other changeling wrong. But she was secretly afraid she would prove her right.

One bright morning in Ponyville Pinkie got up bright and early and headed out to buy party supplies. Her newest party to plan was Rainbow Dash's birthday and she wanted everything to be perfect.  
Pinkie Pie loved seeing everypony whenever she bought supplies. All of the merchants were her friends and she could feel love radiating from them.  
Upon meeting up with Rainbow Dash and the others she learned that this party was more than a birthday party. This was the anniversary of Rainbow Dash moving to Ponyville! She couldn't be more excited.  
"So who's going to join this super duper party pony to plan this super duper paaaaarty!?"  
"I am." The voice came from off to the side. Pinkie looked over and saw a mysterious figure leaning against a wall. He was wearing a hat that hid his eyes from view.  
"Who are you stranger?" She asked eagerly. Pinkie loved making new friends.  
"The name's Cheese Sandwich. I plan parties." The stallion walked towards the group now.  
"What an amazing coincidence! I'm Pinkie Pie, and I'm planning a party!"  
"Ooooh It's no coincidence my little pony. My cheesey sense was a tinglin'! Telling me there was a party in the works." Cheese was now lifting the brim of his hat to survey the scene.  
An exited Pinkie got right in his face. "Ah! Double amazing! I have a pinkie sense!" The newcomer quickly recovered from the invasion of personal space and resumed his mock serious tone.  
"Yes. I sensed you did. And i happen to be the premier party planner in all of Equestria."  
Pinkie wondered why she had never heard of him before.  
Cheese went on to talk about how great his parties were and before long he had most of the town caught up in his excitement. Even Rainbow Dash seemed to have forgotten about Pinkie.  
Before she knew what happened Cheese Sandwich was more involved in the party planning than she was.  
Pinkie felt replaced. Her whole life was about throwing parties and making ponies happy, but now somepony had come along that seemed to be better at that. She nearly quit. But then she remembered all the parties she had thrown in the past. 'I've made ponies happy before and I can do it again! I just have to show them that I'm the best party pony around.'

'In hindsight, a goof off probably wasn't the best idea.' Pinkie had challanged Cheese Sandwich to a rather unusual showdown. The winner would plan the party and the loser wouldn't.  
Half way through however, Pinkie realized that her actions were making Rainbow Dash miserable. 'This isn't what I wanted. I wanted to make her smile.' There was really only one option. She forfeited the competition.  
It was devistating to the mare, losing to another party pony. She didn't know what she was if not the best party planner in ponyville. She had her things packed and was ready to leave Ponyville in Cheese's capable hooves when her friends came galloping towards her.  
They didn't want her to leave, and they told her so.  
"No pony could ever take your place. And we could never have a party without you!" Rainbow assured her. The six mares came together for a group hug and pinkie could feel the strength of their love.  
"Rainbow Dash is right." Cheese could suddenly be heard. "I never wanted to take your place in ponyville. I just wanted to show you what a great party pony I am."  
"Why me?" Pinkie replied in suprise.  
Cheese explained that it was Pinkie who had inspired him to become a party pony in the first place. A party she had thrown had shown him the joy they could bring. She was his hero, and he loved her just as much as everypony else.

"What's with you today? You seem a million miles away." Pestilence was annoyed. Ever since Rainbow Dash's birthday party Pinkie Pie had seemed extra happy.  
It was nauseating.  
"You'll never believe it! I met a party pony a lot like me! His name is Cheese Sandwich and it turns out I'm his hero! He left town to help with another party somewhere, but hopefully we'll meet again."  
"You sound like a lovestruck foal." Pestilence grumbled.  
"W-what?! Don't be silly Fly Paper. Cheese is my friend. Anyway, we might never even see each other again." Pinkie defended.  
"Hmm. True. And then there's the fact that you aren't the same species. Your friends might, by some miracle, accept the real you but this stallion barely even knows you."  
"I already told you, we're just friends."  
But Pestilence's words took root.


	10. Chapter 10

Night had fallen over Ponyville. The air was cool and all was silence.  
Octavia Melody found herself extremely late getting home after a practice session had run long. Her pace quickened. She really didn't like being out after dark.  
Out of that darkness came a sudden sound; a rustling of wings.  
Octavia froze.  
"Who is there?"  
Silence.  
Hoping it was just a stray cat, the mare resumed her walk home, a bit faster now.  
A flash of somthing black could be seen out of the corner of her eye. Spinning around towards it she called out again. "Who is there?!"  
The street was empty.  
Octavia was starting to get scared. She cautiously looked around her for any sign of another living creature. All was stillness and silence.  
She sighed. 'How silly. My eyes must be playing tricks on me in the dark.' She turned back around to continue home.  
Solid blue green eyes met her purple ones and sharp fangs caught what little light the streetlamps gave off.  
Octavia screamed.

Carrot Top was up late that night reading in bed. She had just gotten to the good part when she heard a soft thud come from downstairs.  
She remained quite a moment listening. Downstairs a floor board squeaked.  
'Somepony is in the house.' She realized with a chill.  
Silently slipping out of bed she glanced around the room looking for a weapon. Her garden hoe was propped up against the wall were she had left it, to tired to put it away properly. She grabbed it and creeped silently to her bedroom door.  
Putting an ear up to it she listened. There was only silence at first, and then 'Somepony is on the stairs!'  
Frozen with fear she waited until the footsteps stopped. The intruder was right outside her door, she could hear them breathing.  
Taking a calming breath Carrot Top decieded to act. She threw the door open, hoe in hoof, ready to strike.  
Nopony was there.  
The mare's eyes darted to the left and right. She knew what she had heard. They had been right there. 'Perhaps I should call the authorities' she thought, recalling the phone beside her bed.  
Cautiously she shut the door. 'Calm down Carrot Top. Just get to the phone.'  
She turned, and there stood the intruder.  
She screamed. Then all was silence.

The changeling Queen sat in her new lair. A wicked smile adorned her face and she began singing softly.  
"One by one you all will fall.  
My changelings will replace you all.  
When I'm through you will be too.  
I have so much in store for you."  
Her wicked laugh echoed off the walls.


	11. Chapter 11

Pinkie Pie woke up in a wonderful mood. And why not? It was a beautiful day. The sky was blue, the sun was shining brightly, and everypony was outside enjoying it.  
The pink mare was all to happy to make deliveries for the Cakes that day. She went from house to house delivering delicious treats with a smile.  
Fly Paper eventually caught up with her along the way. While she did keep her company, the changeling did very little to interact with other ponies. Pinkie assumed she was just shy. After all, she did like asking Pinkie questions about the various residents of Ponyville. She must care.  
Despite being her shadow for most of the morning, Fly Paper didn't stick with her for the whole day. She claimed she had an errand to run and trotted off into town.  
With a shrug Pinkie cheerfully hopped her way back to Sugar Cube Corner. She noticed when she reached it that many of the nearby ponies were whispering exitedly amongst themselves. 'I wonder what's going on.'  
She pushed open the door and hopped inside. "Oh Pinkie, good. You're back." Mrs. Cake greeted her warmly. "A friend of yours is here to see you. They say they came a very long way."  
"Ooh! Really? Who is it? Who is it?!" Pinkie hopped up and down.  
"Why, me of course!" A sudden voice came from a few feet away from her. She turned to see a brown haired stallion with bright green eyes smiling at her.  
Pinkie gasped. "Cheese sandwich?!"  
"The one and only!"  
"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" She hopped around him in a circle excitedly. "I haven't seen you since Rainbow Dash's Birthaversary party!" It had been quite some time since then and Pinkie was glad to see her fellow party pony friend again.  
"Indeedily. I've been needed to plan parties all over Equestria!" The stallion bounced slightly.  
"So what brings you back to ponyville Cheese?"  
"Well you of course silly!" Pinkie blushed slightly but it wasn't really noticable with her false pink coat.  
"Wh-wha? Me?!"  
Cheese laughed. "Yep! I've been working so hard lately that I decieded to take a little time off and visit my favorite party pony."  
"Awe, that's so sweet." Pinkie smiled. Then she gasped for a second time. "We should have a welcome back to Ponyville party!"  
"Absolutely! But first, let's take a walk. I wanna tell you all about my adventures."

Fly Paper stood at one of the the windows of Carrot Top's house looking down at the town. She watched Pinkie and Cheese walking and laughing together down below. "Looks like somepony is sticking his muzzle were it doesn't belong."  
Behind her came another changeling who had assumed the real Carrot Top's form. "Did you say somthing Pestilence?"  
"Nothing important. And you should call me Fly Paper from now on. The only way to fool these ponies completely is to embrace the role." She gave him a disapproving glance.  
"You remember what a told you?"  
"Of course."  
"What is your name?"  
"Carrot Top."  
She gave a satisfied nod.  
"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, Octavia is expecting me."


	12. Chapter 12

It took an entire day to plan, but in the end they did have a "welcome back to ponyville" party. Pinkie made sure there were snacks, balloons, bubbles, and music.  
She invited everypony who could come, including her five closest friends.  
They danced, they laughed, they had a great evening.  
Afterward, Cheese walked Pinkie back to Sugar Cube Corner.  
"That party was the best!" He smiled at the mare walking beside him.  
"Uh huh! It was super fantastical!" Pinkie giggled.  
They were quiet for a moment.  
"Thank you Pinkie Pie. Not just for the party, but for being my friend."  
Pinkie was puzzled. "You don't need to thank me for that. I'm happy to be your friend!"  
cheese chuckled. "Well, I guess I just didn't expect that. You've always been my hero Pinkie." He blushed ever so slightly.  
Pinkie smiled warmly at him.

They said goodbye at the door and Pinkie went inside, headed straight for her room. When she opened the door she was startled to see Fly Paper standing there next to her window.  
"Yikes Fly! What are you doing? I almost had a heart attack!"  
"Really? Usually nothing suprises you. You must have been preoccupied." The gray mare replied, ignoring the question. "I see that Cheese burger stallion is back in town." She changed the subject.  
"His name is Cheese Sandwich." Pinkie corrected, shutting the door behind her. "And why weren't you at the party?"  
"I had plans with a ...friend." 'That's more or less true.'  
Pinkie gasped. "You made a friend?! That's great Fly Paper!"  
She dropped her disguise and lept to give the other changeling a hug.  
'What the heck is this?' The still disguised mare puzzled. She'd never been hugged before. Not in her entire life.  
"So who is it?"  
"Oh, um...Octavia. Octavia Melody."  
"Ooh! She's cool."  
Fly Paper sighed. "Yes, I suppose so. But that's not important right now. I'm worried for you Pinkie." 'Worried my hoof'  
"huh? Why?" The pink haired changeling cocked her head to the side and gave her a puzzled look.  
"Because you're getting so close to this stallion. I can tell you like him, but I'm warning you as your friend, that if you let him get to close he's going to find out what you are."  
"So?" Pinkie countered. "Maybe I should tell him. Maybe I should tell all my friends. I hate keeping secrets from them."  
"Do you even hear yourself? What do you think is going to happen when they find out you've been keeping this from them? The fact that you're a changeling! Do you honestly think they'll be able to trust you after that?" Fly Paper was talking with her hooves, trying to emphasise her point.  
"I-I don't know...but they're all my friends. And I'm still the same pony, changeling or not."

There was a knock on the door. Pinkie was startled and quickly restored her disguise. "Who is it?"  
"It's Apple Jack. Ah was just wondering if ah could borrow a cookbook." AJ's muffled voice came through the door. Pinkie opened it.  
"Sure! The cookbooks are downstairs. Follow me!" She led the way, hopping.  
Fly Paper, forgotten for the moment, took her leave.

Queen Chrysalis strolled from her chambers towards a large cavern that made up most of the changeling lair.  
She was in a particularly good mood, having recieved a report from one of her operatives in Ponyville. Everything was going according to plan.  
The cavern ceiling was full of green cucoons. She flew up to inspect them more closely. The majority of them were empty, but a few were occupied. Chrysalis looked absentmindedly at a cucoon holding a gray mare with a bow tie.  
"Soon enough...My subjects will have the perfect home, I will have my revenge, and everything will be as it should be."

"No. It can't be true. Ah couldn't have heard...couldn't have seen...no. She couldn't possibly be a changeling." Apple Jack sat alone in her room, her eyes widened in fear.  
"But she is."


	13. Chapter 13

Apple Jack had a problem.  
Now, It's not as if she meant to spy on Pinkie, but she did. Oh how she wished she hadn't.  
The door had been ajar when she got there. Apparently Pinkie hadn't done a proper job of closing it behind her. Apple Jack was about to knock when she heard two voices arguing inside the room. She recognized Pinkie's voice, but not the other pony's. She peeked through the crack of the door and identified her as Pinkie's cousin Fly Paper.  
And then she saw Pinkie herself.  
Her mane was still pink, but full of holes. Her coat was now a shiny black. She possesed wings and a curved ebony horn. Her legs were full of unnatural looking holes.  
Pinkie Pie was a changeling.  
But surely AJ's eyes were decieving her. Surely there was some other explanation. Surely...  
But then she heard the words exchanged between the two inside the room. Fly Paper herself admitting that Pinkie was, in fact, what she appeared to be.  
Just how long had it been this way? Had Pinkie always been a changeling, or had she been replaced somewhere along the way? Judging from just how different she looked from other changelings it could be assumed that she was indeed the original.  
But how? She came from a family of ponies! Unless...Apple Jack couldn't believe that any of this was reality. It seemed so absurd; so far fetched. But she had seen it. She had heard.  
And now she had to decide what to do.

Pinkie sat on top of her bed working on a scrapbook. She was smiling ear to ear as she filled a page with memories from Cheese's party the other day. She was glad to have him back in town.  
There was a sudden, shaky knock at her door. 'Who could that be?' Black to green to pink, and then she was at the door.  
Opening it, she found a nervous looking Apple Jack. As if her expression wasn't enough of a clue, Pinkie could also sense that somthing was wrong.  
"Hi AJ! What's wrong?"  
"Could we...uh...could we talk in private?" The mare avoided eye contact.  
"Sure!" The pink pony stepped aside allowing Apple Jack to enter her room. "Whadda ya wanna talk about?" Pinkie asked once they were both inside. She was now bouncing on her bed.  
"Pinkie, do you have any baby pictures of yourself?"  
Pinkie stopped bouncing. "Huh? Baby pictures? Why?"  
"Please. Just answer the question. It's important."  
The pink mare was uncomfortable now. "No...they all got lost."  
"What about your sister? Maud? Limestone? Marble? Do you have any of there baby pictures?"  
Pinkie's tension eased slightly and she hopped off the bed. "Sure!" She pulled out a thick photo album and quickly flipped to the correct page. "Here they are! Maud, Limestone, and Marble!" She pointed to each picture as she spoke. A blank photo slot sat with the rest.  
"You and Marble Pie are twins right?" AJ asked while scanning the photos.  
"That's right! We're fraternal twins! Though I came out first so I'm still older."  
"And your baby pictures were the only ones lost? All of them?" The orange mare raised a skeptical eyebrow at her.  
"Well...yes." Pinkie shifted uncomfortably.  
"Is'nt that kinda strange? All of your sisters still have plenty of baby pictures but there ain't a single one of you?"  
"Apple Jack, what's going on? Why is this important?" Pinkie backed away.  
"Because ah had to make sure ah wasn't crazy. Before I told you..."  
"Told me what? What's wrong?!" Pinkie's heart beat quickened. 'Please let me be wrong.'  
Apple Jack gulped. 'Please let this be a dream.'  
"Ah know Pinkie Pie. Ah know that you're a changeling."  
Pinkie's heart stopped.


	14. Chapter 14

"Whaaaaat?!"  
Apple Jack blinked. That wasn't quite the reaction she expected.  
"Apple Jack, are you crazy? How could I be a changeling?!" Pinkie hoped beyond hope that she would buy it.  
"There's no use pretending Pinkie. Ah saw you yesterday." AJ's green eyes stared directly into Pinkie's blue ones, daring her to deny it again.  
"That...that was just a costume!" She smiled falteringly.  
"A costume that puts huge holes in yer legs? Ah don't think so sugar cube."  
Pinkie Pie's eyes darted towards the door.  
Apple Jack noticed. "Easy now. Before you do anything crazy, can we just talk about it? I thought long and hard last night about this whole thing and I'd really like to hear the truth from you. The whole truth."  
Pinkie hung her head. "All right..."  
In true Pinkie Pie fashion, she chose to explain through song. Although, this song had a more meloncholy tune than usual.  
"All my life  
I've been a party pony  
Spreading joy and feeling love.  
But one thing I hide from everypony  
Is a secret I must never give up.

See my mane of cotton candy?  
See my flank, not blank  
And cutie mark?  
See my coat all pink  
and shiney?  
But these things are  
All not mine.

One night dark  
They found me after midnight.  
One night cold they took  
me in.  
I was small  
An itty bitty pony.  
But that's not true  
Let's start again."  
Here Pinkie allowed her pony facade to melt away in green. She stood before Apple Jack, a changeling.  
" See my mane of cotton candy?  
See my hooves all full  
Of holes?  
See my wings?  
They are quite handy.  
These are mine  
And that is true.

All my life  
I've been a changeling.  
A living lie,  
I feed on love.  
That is what  
I hide from everypony.  
A secret I  
Can never give up."

Apple jack was stunned. All these years Pinkie had felt the need to hide this deep dark secret from everypony in her life. Had she feared rejection from her friends?  
Pinkie had fallen completely silent after her song, which was strange for her. She stood staring down at her hooves.  
"Pinkie...Ah had no idea...you coulda told me. You coulda told the whole gang! We-"  
"You would have all thought i was a monster!" Pinkie shouted suddenly, cutting Apple Jack off mid sentence. "I saw what you guys think of changelings back in Canterlot!" Tears were streaming down her face now.  
"That was different! They were attackin' us! You've never tried to hurt us before." The earth pony defended  
"That's just it! I've never hurt you before, but if all of you knew what I am...you would always be afraid I might turn on you." Fresh tears spilled down her face.  
"Oh Pinkie..." Apple Jack took several steps closer to her friend. "Ah know that you would never turn on us." She put a comforting hoof on the sobbing changeling's shoulder. "The six of us have been through thick and thin together. We'll always believe in one another, no matter what."  
She lifted Pinkie's head to look her in the eyes. "We'll always believe in you."  
The pink haired creature's eyes widened. Her lip quivered and even more tears came to her eyes. She fell forward into Apple Jack who embraced her in a hug. "R-r-really...?"  
"Really." The mare pulled away slightly. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."  
Through her tears, Pinkie smiled.


End file.
